NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 8
Dispatches
THE GHOST SHIP FIRE
GHOST EFFECT
A YEAR AFTER OAKLAND'S GHOST SHIP FIRE
KILLED 36, NFPA CONTINUES TO DEVELOP
TOOLS TO HELP CITIES AND SAFETY OFFICIALS
MANAGE HIGH-RISK PROPERTIES
By Angelo Verzoni
ecember 2 dawned sunny and brisk
in Oakland, California, and within
hours mourners began arriving
on a block in the city's Fruitvale
neighborhood. On a fence outside
a disused, two-story warehouse, wedged between
a vacant lot and an auto body shop, they placed
flowers, photos, and letters. Until a year ago, the
building that had been known as the Ghost Ship
functioned as an unpermitted living, work, and
performance space, mainly for local artists.
On the same date in 2016, 36 people died in
the building when a fire ripped through it as they
attended a late-night concert and dance party. It
was the deadliest structure fire in modern California history.
Two days after the memorial events, a preliminary hearing began for Derick Almena, who
is referred to as Ghost Ship's former "master
tenant," and former Ghost Ship art director Max
Harris, who have both been charged with 36
counts of involuntary manslaughter. The men
have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Dozens of
civil lawsuits have also been filed by the families
of victims against Almena, Harris, and others.
In all of the suits, aspects of the prosecutions'
argument rely on the fact that the Ghost Ship
warehouse was categorically unsafe. It was
cluttered with makeshift walls, staircases, and
REMEMBERING
On the one-year
anniversary of the
fire, a visitor pauses
at a memorial
erected at the site
of the former Ghost
Ship facility.
8 | NFPA JOURNAL * J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 8
collections of art, instruments, furniture, and
other items. It lacked smoke alarms, sprinklers,
and proper signage or exits.
Beyond the legal ramifications, the blaze shed
light on an issue that has been a concern for the
enforcement community for years: the undocumented repurposing of buildings, including
former warehouses, into residential or assembly
occupancies. In the wake of Ghost Ship, city and
fire officials across the country scrambled to
take stock of similar, potentially dangerous properties in their jurisdictions. In Oakland, those
efforts have been largely shaped by input the city
received from NFPA, and NFPA continues to offer
AP/WIDE WORLD
D
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - January/February 2018
Contents
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - Cover1
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - Cover2
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 1
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - Contents
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 3
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 4
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 5
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 6
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 7
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 8
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 9
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 10
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 11
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 12
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 13
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 14
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 15
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 16
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 17
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 18
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 19
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 20
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 21
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 22
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NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 24
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 25
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NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 27
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NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - Cover3
NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - Cover4
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